


A One Tale Story

by p_ogman



Series: Sleepy Bois Inc Fics (Dream SMP + Origins SMP) [1]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom
Genre: Angel of Death Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Blood God Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Deity Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Deity Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Family, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Good Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Limbs, Mentioned Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Winged Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28589601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/p_ogman/pseuds/p_ogman
Summary: While growing up in his family, Techno could recall feathers, love, and the fantastical tales his father told him of his adventures. When someone nearly take's Phil's life away, Techno sees there's a lot you can do in a one tale story.
Relationships: Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: Sleepy Bois Inc Fics (Dream SMP + Origins SMP) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2094897
Comments: 11
Kudos: 308





	A One Tale Story

**Author's Note:**

> HEYY A ONE SHOT??
> 
> This will be mostly Techno and Philza centric. (Sorry Philza is my favorite.) Tommy, Wilbur, Tubbo, Schlatt, and Dream are sort of side characters. This takes place before the events of the DSMP, but doesn't really fit anyways in the canon. Please enjoy!
> 
> (As always shoutout to @ultrasexhaver on twitter for sharing so many great ideas with me aaa)

Techno could barely recall the day he had first met the man who took him in, but he knows the story like it was yesterday due to how many times he’s heard it before.

Being the eldest child out of the three, his two younger brothers always grasped at any material they could on embarrassing stories about Techno. Techno would always try to shush the two up, especially when they were all younger, but his father would laugh and use it as an opportunity to tell a story.

Phil was always the best at telling stories, and the three would gather around their father and become entranced in the stories he would weave. Sometimes Tommy would ruin the flow of it by asking too many questions, but Phil managed to take in stride and answer them or tell Tommy to wait later on in the story for his question to be answered.

The story of Phil being followed by an odd looking Piglin was one that Techno heard at least five times. Phil would still smile all the same each retelling and tell how he saved Techno from Piglins who were trying to kill the young Piglin hybrid, and he brought them both back to his home.

Imagery of great beautiful wings being spread as he carried the baby Piglin in his arms filled the minds of the three children. Phil would always emphasize how small and cute Techno was, which would earn a huff from Techno and two laughs from his younger brothers.

Usually, the stories were quickly followed by how he had found Tommy and Wilbur, since Tommy would quickly pipe up and ask for his out of obvious jealousy. Phil would tell all three of the stories with the same love and adoration for each of his sons. 

Techno loved all the stories. He only held the utmost respect for Phil, and the tales of his adventures filled Techno’s head with wonders. The tale of Phil defeating the dragon in the end by himself was his favorite. He would ask Phil to tell it to him when he tucked him in at night. Wilbur and Tommy usually were already asleep, but Techno always had trouble sleeping at night. He’d listen to his father tell of gathering armor in order to prepare for his fight, but he’d always be asleep before Phil even told of facing it.

Techno would sometimes dream of great wings with black feathers gliding a hero towards the head of a monstrous dragon. The red heart pendant that his father always wore close to him always glowed bright in those dreams.

The whole family knew of Phil’s wings, but for some reason Phil had instructed the three of them to keep the majestic limbs a secret. He would hide them under his coat when they would all go to town to trade and get supplies. Techno never liked the fact that he did, and his brothers shared the same opinion as him for once.

Tommy had tried asking Phil once out of curiosity, but Phil would just laugh it off and change the subject. Tommy would immediately catch the subject change and frown, but Phil would quickly divert his attention to some other thing that made the boy forget about the subject. Wilbur was harder to distract though, and he was more persistent in his questioning.

“Do people not like wings?”, He would ask.

“You could say that.”, was the only answer they could seem to get from the man. It made Techno’s mood sour even at a young age. Why wouldn’t someone like Phil’s wings? They were adorned with shiny and soft feathers. Techno has a couple of them, as does his brothers. They could sometimes be found about the house from naturally falling from the wings, and the boys made a sort of game from it to see who could collect the most. Phil had laughed when he found out after he saw the three dive towards a feather right behind him on the floor before.

He knew his father was strong. He’s survived many battles, and has lived far from others on his own for so long. If someone didn’t like his wings, surely he could just take out his sword shining from the glare of the diamond blade and tell them off. Techno would ponder about it when they made their long way to the town. 

He eventually came up with a conclusion: If his dad was scared to show his wings, then there must be somebody very strong who hated them. Someone even stronger than his dad. It was a scary thought, but the fear ebbed away over the years and was quickly replaced by a hatred for whoever this person or people were.

He started to take up fighting. He asked his father to teach him how to use a sword. Much to his dismay, Wilbur and Tommy soon followed suit, but they quickly lost interest in it after a few lessons. Tommy had complained about how it was boring and he was already the strongest, but Techno knew it was really because he accidentally cut his hand and cried about it. Phil had kissed it better before bandaging it, but the kid was still a baby about it. Phil always had a healing touch to him.

Techno was still persistent on it though. He could tell his dad was trying to give him basic stuff. He was going too easy on Techno. He would show him the correct motions on swinging and holding a sword. He wouldn’t ever let Techno hold his diamond or netherite swords though.

Techno didn’t like it. He was already thirteen at the time, and he didn’t want to babied. He felt like he wouldn’t grow close to as strong as his father if he kept going at the rate he was going. So that night when Phil tucked the boys again, Techno closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. He waited until he heard the soft sound of his father’s sandals against the wooden floor followed by the closing of the door before he opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling and caught the soft snoring from Wilbur, and the loud snoring from Tommy. He quietly got up and slipped his shoes and pulled on his coat before he sneaked out of the room.

His Piglin ears perked as he tried to listen for any signs of his dad. Sometimes he would wake up to get a drink of water in the middle of the night and would see his dad still up making new weapons or reading from a book. He would usually offer the boy a snack before he sent him back to his room. 

If Techno was really lucky, he’d catch Phil grooming his wings. He would hum to himself idly as he preened, removing the molted feathers from the rest and aligning them all back into their place. It was a calming thing to see, and it would always look like Phil was in his own world when he did it. He liked seeing his father at peace.

That night, he didn’t stop to peek into the man’s room. Instead, he walked as quietly as he could to a room where he knew Phil hid some extra weapons. He remembers how Tommy had found the chest while they were playing a game of hide and seek they had managed to drag him into. Tommy couldn’t stop excitedly exclaiming how awesome it was, but Wilbur and Techno managed to shut him up before Phil could hear they'd found it.

He opened the chest and picked up the diamond sword inside, intentionally not going for the netherite. He’s heard stories about how hard it was for his father to find netherite in the nether. Something about great explosions and beds. He didn’t want to use the sword until he felt like he deserved it, and he felt that night was going to be a big step in that.

With the diamond sword in his hand, and a diamond helmet on his head, he quietly walked out the front door.

They weren’t allowed to go outside alone at night. Their father would always stress how dangerous monsters would roam more freely in the dark. While during the day they’d encounter a rare creeper on occasion; spiders, zombies, and skeletons were said to be out in the night. Techno knows because his father would gain resources from killing these monsters, and would sometimes tell Techno about it. Techno thought they would be the best for learning how to fight. He appreciated his dad for trying to teach him to fight, but he wanted to get better fast.

He made his way close to the swaths of trees near their house. He gripped his sword readily and looked around for a victim to try out his skills. He sees a flash of red and grins. He knew they must have been the eyes of a spider, and he went close to it, stalking under the light of the moon.

When he made it close to the spider, he striked. He brought the sword down as soon as the red eyes turned towards him, and he could hear the spider hiss as it was hit. He swung again just as the spider tried to jump towards him, and he felt his heart beating fast when he watched it die. He did it. He killed a monster on his own. He felt a grin forming on his face. He thought the weight of the sword in his hand felt perfect, like it had always belonged there.

He looked around, eyes quickly finding another prey. He manages to take down a lone zombie that almost surprised him behind a tree. He’s almost surprised at how easily he takes the offending creature down, and he feels a puff of pride. He didn’t feel tired. The child could only feel exhilarated as he looked around more. 

He didn’t expect the sound of an arrow going off. If he hadn’t looked behind him at the whoosh of the arrow cutting through the air, he would have gotten hit straight in the head. He looked at the arrow that hit the bark of the tree before he turned back in the direction where it came from and saw the faint image of a skeleton not too far away. He almost cursed himself for not bringing a shield.

But he was feeling quite proud of his accomplishments that night already, and in his mind he thought he was good enough to take the skeleton down. He ran to another tree in the direction of the monster as it fired off another arrow. Techno felt his heart pounding as he gripped his sword and ran straight for it. He swung and the monster shot an arrow aimed at his head.  
He feels like his heart stops before he realizes the arrow hit the protective surface of his helmet. He grinned and kept swinging, unaware of the slow footsteps behind him.

He turned just as heard the low groan of a zombie, the skeleton picking itself up off the ground as he focused his attention on bringing down the zombie with his sword. He didn’t notice the skeleton draw its bow.

“Techno!”, He heard a familiar voice call out which was followed by the sound of gliding wings in the air. He felt warm arms pull him up into the air just as an arrow whooshes past where he was standing just before. He looked down at the sight of the trees going more and more under him and his eyes widened. He looked up and saw his father. His golden hair was flowing through the air, but somehow his usual hat managed to stay securely on.

“Dad..”, He had said. Phil looked at him.

“What the hell were you doing Techno! You could have lost one of your lives!”, Phil snaps. Techno had never seen his father angry anymore. Of course he’s seen him annoyed and exasperated by the antics the three brothers usually caused, but he never really yelled at them. Techno must have shown his shock well because his father took a breath and watched the tension leave his shoulders. He felt the wind that hit his face from the flying soften as Phil slowed down.

He would have enjoyed it if his heart wasn’t mourning the clear disappointment from his father.

“What happened Tech? What were you thinking?”, Phil asked more softly.

“I wanted to fight.”, Techno said. He could tell they already passed their house, but Phil keeps flying. Techno started to feel the exhaustion from staying up late catch up to him.

“Fight?”, Phil asked. Techno nodded tiredly, letting his head lean against Phil’s shoulder.

“I wanted to get better…”, He explained. 

“You’re not ready to fight like that Techno. I know you’re restless with your training, but you’re just a boy. You need just a little more training ok?”, Phil said.

“Training is boring..I liked killing those monsters.”, Techno said as he remembered the feeling he got when he defeated those monsters with his blade. He felt...good.

“It won’t do any good if those monsters are the ones killing you..”, Phil said. He shook his head. “I’m disappointed in you, Techno. You’re a great fighter for your age, an amazing one. Don’t rush yourself.”

“Ok.”, He said. He didn’t quite agree with not being able to fight monsters at the time, but he was just more relieved that his father wasn’t angry at him. He saw Phil turn swiftly and fly back towards the house. He’s silent the rest of the way, and Techno just focuses on the amazing feeling of the wind brushing over him. 

They land without a hitch, and Phil still carries Techno even though they’ve reached the house. He would normally huff and go against such a thing, but he allowed it, not liking the way Phil seemed a little shaken about what happened. Phil carries him to his bed and sets him down while Tommy and Wilbur still snored in the background.

“You’re tired. We’ll talk more tomorrow alright?”, Phil whispered to him and Techno nodded. Phil tucked him in and kissed his forehead before he quietly left the room.

Techno looked up at the ceiling and thought over what happened. He learned three things that night. He liked to kill, he liked when his dad flew, and he had more than one life.

* * *

Phil had never talked about lives before. Techno knew about death. He had watched monsters die and heard of passing aways in town, and his mind always assumed there was one. 

He wanted to ask Phil more about it, but his father had scolded him about Techno sneaking off during the night the next day and grounded him which gained laughter and amusement from Wilbur and Tommy. Phil wasn’t too good at grounding his kids though, and at night he let Techno have a slice of cake with the rest of them and they almost forgot about the whole incident.

He had waited, biding his time on the topic until one night where Phil tucks him in last. Wilbur and Tommy were exploring nearby while Techno and Phil were practicing the blade. They knocked out as soon as they hit the bed much to Phil’s amusement.

“Dad.”, The boy asked as Phil finished tucking him in. His father looked at him. “So..I have more than one life?”

Phil looked surprised by the question for a second before he nodded. “That’s right..You have three Techno.”

“Only me?”, Techno asked. Phil laughed a bit.

“No..Your brothers have three lives too.”, Phil explained. Techno processed the information. They all had three lives. 

“But, even so, each life you have is important. I know you want to fight, and you will be an amazing fighter Techno, but I never want any of you to lose a life.”, He said. Techno nodded, despite the growing sense of power he felt. He had three lives. If he had died that night,it really wouldn’t have mattered.

“Now off to bed you go. Goodnight Techno.”, Phil said with a smile as he walked away. 

“Night.”, Techno had mumbled as closed his eyes and fell asleep with the warm thought that him and his family are even more safer than he originally thought.

Things began to change after that. Techno would practice his fighting more, and each day Phil would praise his son or give him even more tips as his skills progressed. He wasn’t the only one that began to change though. Wilbur got a guitar for his next birthday and wouldn’t stop practicing on the damn thing. It only took him a few months to start actually playing good, and Phil always enforced the little concerts WIlbur liked to make for them in the living room.

Tommy also changed. He had met a new friend on one of the family trips into town. It was a boy his age who had small horns and a kind nature. Techno thought the boy would be exactly like Tommy if he managed to get along with the gremlin, but to everyone’s surprise, Tubbo was a sweet person. He was still a little mischievous himself, which was only furthered by Tommy’s influence. Phil took it in stride though, and offered to take Tommy into town more to meet up with his friend.

And Phil, he stayed the same as ever. He kept taking care of his sons and helping them with the interests that they held close to their hearts. There wasn’t a day where their father didn’t shower them with love. Sometimes Phil would joke about how he spoiled them, but he would keep them out of too much trouble mostly despite their usual antics. Even as they grew older, their father still kept his loving nature, his long blonde hair, and his heart pendant he always held close to himself. He still was strong, and beat any monster easily that came near the house. Him and Techno would still fish together like always, even as the boy grew older. His dad said he was an excellent fisherman, but Techno knew he’d never be as good as his old man in it.

Techno appreciated the way his father stayed a constant in his life, as they all grew older. He didn’t like how some things never changed though. His father continued to hide his wings when they went into town, and he would rarely fly. He was still scared of something, and as Techno grew stronger, he vowed he’d use all three of his lives if he had to in order for his father to be able to fly freely.

Phil eventually allowed him to fight monsters, but he stayed close by just in case things got out of hand at night. Tommy and Wilbur didn’t know about these nightly excursions. Phil wanted all of his children to be able to defend themselves, but the thought of Tommy and Wilbur in the forest with monsters roaming sounded like a headache.

He was starting to master the blade even better, and on his seventeenth birthday, Phil had gifted Techno a netherite sword. Techno was in awe at the blade at first, admiring the hue of the soft purple glow it emitted from the enchantments on it. He knew such magic was difficult to put on blades, and it was even harder to find the rare netherite ore, so he immediately thanked his father.

“You deserve it Techno. I’m really proud of you. Just try not to cause too much chaos ok?”, Phil had waved off the thank you with a laugh and smile. Tommy had complained about how he wanted to eat cake already which successfully interrupted the grand moment. Techno wasn’t even bothered by his little brother scarfing down two pieces of cake with his mouth open as he stared at the sword in his hands that day.

It was only a few days later when they made a trip to the town to trade in some ores Phil found for some food when Techno had seen a poster tacked up on a wall. He went up to it and his eyes widened as he read about the contest being held. Fighters from across the land were being invited to fight. The contest was to be held in a city further away. He took the poster down and put it in his pocket.

He trained even harder that week. He wanted his name to be known far and wide for the destruction he can cause. Maybe then nobody would even think of messing with him or his family.

* * *

“I’m going to Dream City.”, He said one day at dinner. Phil nearly dropped his fork at the sudden statement.

“That’s a long journey away..Why would you want to go there?”, Phil asked as he quickly regained himself.

“There’s a fighting competition. I want to enter it.”, He answered honestly. Phil’s eyes widened.

“You’re only seventeen.”, Phil said.

“That doesn’t matter. I’m nearly an adult now.”, Techno said. “I want to win this. I know I can win the competition.”

“Can we come with then? And Tubbo too?”, Tommy asked with his mouth full.

“No.”, Techno and Phil said at the same time. Phil frowned.

“I don’t like this idea Techno. You could get seriously hurt.”, Phil said.

“I don’t care. I have three lives anyways.”, Techno said with a shrug. “I can never prove myself as a fighter if I stay here.”

Phil stayed silent for a second before he sighed and smiled a bit. “I always had a feeling you’d go restless here. Alright, I’ll allow you to go. Just because I know you’d only sneak out if I said no anyways.”

Techno perked up at the words, and he smiled. “I’ll win. And when I do I’ll come back with the prizes.”

“I don’t care about any of that Techno. Just come back safe ok?”, He said and Techno nodded.

The day Techno set off started off somber. Wilbur moped all morning as Techno got ready. He strummed a sad tune on his guitar and complained about how Phil shouldn’t let him go. Techno only rolled his eyes at the behavior. He knew it was only because his brother would miss him. Tommy also was sad to see Techno though, but his mood brightened when Techno told him he’ll bring him back souvenirs if he didn’t cause trouble for Phil.

Phil was the worst one of all. He made up Techno’s backpack for him to take with him, and listed off the dos and don’ts of the city as he gathered supplies for Techno to take. Techno could only nod and agree to follow the advice to stop his father from being completely overcome with worry. 

When the four of them stood outside the house, they all took turns giving the Piglin a hug. Techno was the tallest out of all of them, and easily engulfed them in a rare hug he wouldn’t normally so easily give. When he hugged Phil he huffed when he saw tears in his eyes.

“Sorry sorry- You just grew up on me so fast you know..”, Phil said with a slight laugh as he iped at his eyes. He smiled. “Kick their asses, and stay safe son. A victory isn’t worth one of your lives ok? Remember that..”

“Got it..I’ll make you proud.”, Techno said.

“You already have son.”, Phil said.

The three stay out and watch as Techno starts to walk further and further away from the home. He held one of his father’s feathers in his pocket as he made his way towards the city.

* * *

The city was a lot different from the small town that was nearest towards their house. There were a lot more people bustling around, and more places to stop at. He even saw a familiar face while he looked around for the stadium the tournament was being held in.

“Mr. Techno! What on Earth are you doing here?”, He heard someone say. He was surprised to turn and see Tubbo there of all people.

“Tubbo?”, He asked. He looked around before looking back at the boy. “What are you doing here?”

“I asked first.”, The boy pointed out, but he smiled and pointed over at a man in a suit with horns that were greater than Tubbo’s. “My dad’s a businessman! He says now is the best time to do business here in the city.”

“I see..”, Techno said as he watched the goat man from afar stop passersbys to offer his wares. He shakes his head. “I have to get going. But..I promised Tommy a souvenir here. Any ideas kid?”

“Oh!”, Tubbo said excitedly at the mention of his best friend. “I think Tommy would really like a music disc from here. Um..I don’t have enough money to get one, but I remember him mentioning how they have so little options in town.”

“Great. I’ll get one of those then when I win the prize money.”, He said and Tubbo’s eyes widened.

“Don’t tell me you’re entering the contest!”, He asked and Techno nodded.

“That’s so amazing! I heard Mr. Dream was going to watch this year!”, Tubbo exclaimed.

“Dream?”, Techno asked.

“Yeah! My dad said he’s been around for hundreds of years..He made this city. They say he’s a god because he has infinite lives!”, Tubbo said in a whisper. Techno snorts.

“Sounds like a made up story kid.”, He said and Tubbo quickly shook his head.

“No, no, my dad doesn’t lie. He’s a businessman.”, Tubbo said wholeheartedly. 

“Well then, I hope this Dream guy watches then. Maybe after I win, I can fight him too.”, Techno said and Tubbo quickly shushed him.

“You’re gonna get in trouble for saying that!”, He said in a quick whisper.

“Whatever. I should sign up now.”, He said with a wave and Tubbo waved back with a cheerful goodbye and wishes of luck as he walked away.

* * *

Techno annihilated the competition.

Each victory he held made him fight harder and fiercely than he ever had before. These weren’t monsters in the forest that were more mindless in nature, no. These were humans and hybrids much like himself, and he took them down all in stride with his netherite sword in hand. 

In the end of it, his limbs were slightly sore as the adrenaline from all of the fighting started to ebb away and was replaced by a newfound tiredness. The last contestant was in a sour mood at the loss, glaring at him as he managed to pull himself off from the ground. It was a man with a a white band that wrapped around his forehead, and a white shirt that held the symbol of flames. He was pretty good at fighting, but he was still no match for the Piglin.

When he had won a burst of cheering erupted from the crowds. They were cheering his name loudly. The name he had put down incursive writing when he had signed up for the tournament.

“Technoblade!”, They shouted over and over, and he felt a swell of pride at the cheering. He quite liked the sound of his name being cheered by the masses. He grinned, wishing his family was there to see it. He waved at the crowd and thought about how proud Phil would be when he came back home. Everyone was going to know his name.

He could see a figure approaching him from behind, and he turned around and saw a man wearing a peculiar white mask with a simple smiley face on it. The man is wearing a green hoodie of all things with netherite armor over it. He didn’t know how, but he can immediately tell the man was Dream.

“Hello. Congratulations on winning.”, Dream said as he held out a hand. Techno reluctantly took the hand and shook it. The man continued. “As agreed, here’s part of your prize. We’ll have to go in the back to get the rest of it.”

The man held out a crown to Techno. He was shorter than Techno by a few inches, so Techno did him a favor and took the gold crown into his own hands. He tried not to get fixated on the bright gleam of the gold, and instead places it on top of his head quickly which caused the crowd to cheer again.

“I was supposed to put it on your head y’know.”, The man says with a slight laugh that Techno could tell was fake, but held no fear. The man motions for Techno to follow him and Techno waves at the crowd cheering his name one last time before following the masked man to a room in the back. 

“You’ll be rewarded in gold and diamonds. Lots of it. You also can enter the future competitions for free.”, Dream explained as they walked.

“There’s more?”, Techno asked.

“Well of course. I’m sure everyone will want to versus you in the next one.”, Dream said with a hum. “Hey, you’d actually be a good addition to my team. We call ourselves the Dream Team. We enforce the laws around here.”

“Is that so?”, Techno asked with a snort. He shook his head. “No thanks. I have to get back to my family, but maybe I’ll be back for the next competition.”

“Oh. You can have time to think about it until then. Your family could always move in the city. I did make this city for all to live in it. It really does make it harder to keep an eye on everyone when they’re all scattered.”, Dream said while barely obscuring the annoyance in his voice which caused Techno to frown.

“I think we like our home well.”, He said instead of how much he didn’t agree with the words. Was this guy really a god like Tubbo had said? He seemed like a normal human to him, but then again, nearly every inch of his body was covered from the hood that covered his head to the gloves he wore on his hands. His guard was subconsciously raised, and he gripped the sword still in his hand.

“Here we are.”, Dream said as he stopped in front of a room. They went in and Techno’s eyes widened at the stacks of gold and diamond that sat on the desk. There was so much that Techno wondered how he could carry it all home by himself. 

"You do have a wagon to bring this all back right?", Dream asked and Techno almost regrets not taking the small wagon they have back at the house, but he shakes his head. He didn't want to keep their only wagon when the others still had to make their way to town.

"I'll work things out.", He said. He thinks back to Tubbo and his father desperately trying to get people to buy his goods. He remembered them having a rickety wagon, but a wagon nonetheless.

"Alright. Good. I look forward to seeing you again.", Dream said and Techno grunted in response, just wanting to go back home already.

He went over the stacks of gold, immediately brushing his hands over the pieces. He had learned to suppress his urges to take gold as his Piglin side screamed at him to do, but a look at it couldn't hurt. He barely notices Dream lean down and pick something off from the floor. He didn't think anything of it until he heard Dream say, "What's this?"

He looked and saw him holding Phil's feather. It must have fell out of his pocket, and he almost cursed himself at his stupidity for not being more careful with the item, even though he had many more at home.

"A feather.", He said plainly even though it was so much more than that, but something about the man holding it seemed so awful. He doubted anyone but him and his brothers have seen the feathers that adorned his father's wings, and for Dream to hold one so plainly seemed wrong.

"I see that. But it's large. It couldn't have come from a bird.", He said as he rotated the item slightly in his hand. His tone was chipped and had an edge to it, like he was trying to tell Techno there was something wrong here. 

"Ah. I wouldn't know. I just..found it.", He said. He wasn't always a great liar, and he felt almost stupid for the way his answer sounded.

"Right..found it.", Dream said. "Looks like it's from a bird hybrid. Those are dangerous."

"Dangerous?", Techno asked.

"Well yeah. They can fly.", Dream said. He holds the feather out towards Techno and Techno takes it back quickly. He put the feather safely in his pocket.

"I don't see how that makes them dangerous.", He said. He didn't like where any of this was going. Phil was kind and raised him and his brothers all on his own. Sure he wasn't weak in the slightest, but his flight was one of the most graceful things about him. It's what helped him defeat the ender dragon and allow people to go into The End.

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't get it.", Dream said. Techno narrows his eyes, but Dream turns away.

"I'll see you at the next event, Technoblade. Who knows..maybe I'll join in the rink too.", He said. Techno hoped he did. He was going to beat his ass.

When he was sure Dream walked away, he managed to haul the diamonds and gold outside. He saw Tubbo's dad doing a little dance of sorts as he tried to convince some people to buy some buttons he was selling. Techno read the ones displayed and snorted. They said "Sapnap" on them. Techno guesses he must have been the reigning champion before him.

"Mr. Techno! Congratulations! Or should I call you Technoblade now?", Tubbo asked with a laugh. The kid's dad looked over at him at the words.

"Hey buddy!", The man said as he jabbed a finger at Techno. "You ruined my whole business! Nobody wants to get merch of the guy who won second place! If my name is Jedediah Schlatt-"

"Dad please..", Tubbo said as he grabbed Schlatt's arm.

"Actually, I came with a proposition.", Techno said as he showed some of the gold he was carrying which caused Schlatt to immediately gawk in wonder. "Let me ride back you guys on your wagon, and I'll give you a bar of gold and a piece of diamond."

"Really? Deal!", Schlatt said quickly. "Actually make that two bars huh buddy? Hey Tubbo isn't this guy great? Uh, Technospade right?"

"Blade.", He said dryly. He looked at Tubbo. "I need to get souvenirs. You can pick something out as well."

"Really?", Tubbo said excitedly. He bounced slightly. "I know exactly what I want then!"

So that's how Techno found himself on the back of the rickety wagon with Tubbo sitting next to him with a plush bee in his hand while Schlatt directed the horse up front. Techno picked out a disc for Tommy with the help of Tubbo, and he got a keyboard for Wilbur which was something the boy mentioned he wanted to try out besides the guitar. He was stumped on what to get Phil, so he settled on some new seeds which seemed like a poor gift now that he looked at them as the cart swayed. That was ok though. He didn't need the prizes he got, but he knew someone raising three boys would need it more.

He managed to convince Schlatt to drive the wagon up all the way to his house so he wouldn't have to walk from the town to his home with all of the things he's brought. When he sees the house in the distance he smiles, and it grows even more when he sees Tommy running around up front while Wilbur played with his guitar.

Tommy was the first to see them, mainly because Tubbo had excitedly called out his name as they approached closer. The blonde boy immediately ran over to meet up with them with an excited shout. Wilbur also stopped playing his guitar, smiling wide as he got up from the front steps and waved.

Techno couldn't help but smile at the sight of his brothers. Despite all the bickering they did, he rarely spent so much time away from them. He smiled even wider when he saw Phil leave the house and the happiness on his face when he saw Techno meant the world to him.

When they finally stopped, Techno hopped off, ignoring Tubbo's pleas to his father to let him stay and play with Tommy in the background. 

"You bastard what took you so long!", Tommy said with a laugh as he basically catapulted himself into his older brother. Techno huffed at the force, but smiled and ruffled his hair hard. 

"It takes a while to win. Losers go home early.", He says smugly which causes Tommy to gape. 

"No way! You didn't fucking-", Tommy starts but is interrupted by Wilbur shoving him away.

"You won?-", He asked and Techno nodded as he crossed his arms. "Shut up! You actually did it!"

"Yup.", He says. He looks behind the two and sees his father smiling.

"You actually did it. I knew you could Techno.", He says as he goes over with a laugh and hugs his son, and Techno huffs to make a show but gladly hugs his father back. Phil looks up at him with his face still beaming. "You have to tell us all about it. You're not hurt right?"

"Just some scrapes and cuts. Nothing that couldn't be quickly patched up.", He said with a shrug. The exhaustion of it all was starting to catch up to the young Piglin, and his father caught on and put a hand on his back.

"Let's get you to bed then.", He says with a slight laugh.

Tommy whines. "Come on he just got back, I wanna hear about the city-"

"If I give you your gift will you shut up and let me sleep?", Techno asks and Tommy's eyes immediately light up at the word gift and he quickly nods and makes a lip zipping motion. 

"Here. A disc.", He says as he hands Tommy a disc and Tommy nearly screams as he looks down at the disc in his hands. "A disc! A new disc! I've never seen this one before! I'm going to play it all the time thank you Techno, thank you!"

"Yeah yeah just wait until after I sleep to play it.", He says which causes the boy to pout.

"You can play with Tubbo until then.", Phil points out, which successfully diverts the boy’s attention to his best friend bouncing on his heels with the bee plush still in his arms. Tommy immediately goes running over to the other boy.

"And for Wilbur-", Techno says as he hands Wilbur the keyboard still in its box. Wilbur gapes.

"This must have cost a fortune!", Wilbur finally says and Techno shrugs.

"I currently have a fortune.", He says and Phil laughs at the way he says it.

"Thank you. I can make so many more songs with this-", He says and Techno could already see the gears turning in his brother's head. He turns to Phil.

"And for you.", He says as he hands him the seeds. He means for it to be a joke. He expects a disappointed expression on his father's face compared to the other gifts Tommy and Wilbur had received, but instead his father's smile grows.

"You didn't have to give me anything Techno, you coming home is a gift enough.", He says. He inspects the seeds and laughs. "Pumpkin? We've never grown these before, it should be nice."

Techno almost laughs. He suddenly feels ridiculous for expecting his father to show disappointment. Sure Phil liked to collect shiny or rare things, but he never failed to smile when his children would bring him a gift, and now was no different.

"That's..Ok stop looking so happy that's not even half of your gift.", Techno says.

"Nope. This is great. I'll have to till more soil in our garden.", Phil says stubbornly as he holds the bag of seeds closer to himself. Techno groans.

"Fine fine, I also want you to have the winnings- The gold and diamonds are all for you.", He says and Phil blinks.

"I can't accept that. Those are your winnings you earned.", Phil says.

"You were the one who trained me, and took care of me. I want you to have this ok? For being a good dad.", Techno says and immediately feels embarrassed for saying it but Phil smiles.

"I..Ok. I'll take it. But, if you ever want anything with the money just ask ok? I want to save most of it for you and your brothers.", Phil says and Techno groans.

"Really? I give you all that loot and you still think about your kids?", He asks and Phil laughs.

"Well- Maybe I can get a new coat.", Phil says with a shrug.

"A new coat..You're killing me.", Techno says which only causes Phil to laugh more.

That night after Techno takes a nap, they have a big dinner to celebrate Techno winning and coming back home. After much insistence from Tommy, Techno tells of his battles which catch the interest of everyone at the table. He doesn't think he's as good of a storyteller as Phil or even Wilbur was, but he thought it felt nice to speak of his accomplishments.

When he gets to the part about Dream, Phil has an odd look on his face, like Techno had somehow narrowly evaded death. He wants to ask what his father knows of Dream but his brain short circuits at the coming of a sudden realization.

His father said he couldn't fly. Dream said him and his team enforces rules. The words Dream said when he held the feather. 

He suddenly loses his appetite, and a burning anger he held in the pit of his stomach for the unknown person who prevented his father from flying burned even more at the fact he was face to face with him before.

After dinner he takes the feather out of his pocket and puts it safely with the others he still kept from the games they had played as kids. He lays in bed and thinks he'll win the next tournament, and when he faces Dream he'll force him to change the rule. He thinks he'll even kill the man if he has to.

* * *

Techno begins to train even more the weeks following. Tommy can be heard bickering in the house with Wilbur because the disc he keeps playing keeps distracting him from his song playing. It usually results in a long and loud argument that ended with Phil making one or both of them go outside.

Phil had questioned Techno on why he was training even more than before and Techno answered his father honestly and told him about the next tournament. He purposefully kept the part out about Dream possibly fighting in it to keep the man from worrying.

"Ah- So you're addicted now huh?", Phil says jokingly but sighs. "As long as you're careful that's fine with me. Maybe the family can go with you this time."

"There are places to stay nearby.", Techno says with a shrug while trying not to show how much he enjoyed the idea of his family watching him win, especially against Dream. "But, it's a long trip. And I don't know if Wilbur and Tommy will be up for it."

"Are you kidding me? They'll love it! I can prepare for us to go, it'll be fun.", Phil says. "I haven't been to that city in a long time.."

"Alright. Sounds good to me. More hands to hold the gold I win.", He says which causes Phil to laugh. It was ridiculously easy to make him laugh, but all of his sons could agree it was one of the best laughs in the world.

That night Techno carefully cleaned his sword and put it away in its rightful place before he went to go to his bed. He passed the living room and was surprised to see Phil with a sword by his side.

"What are you doing?", He asked.

"Just going out to get some more string from the spider farm. Go ahead and sleep, I'll be back in an hour tops.", He said. Techno nodded, almost wanting to insist on going with, but he could feel the soreness from all of his training begin to settle in and he wanted to sleep it off.

He goes to his bedroom and faintly hears the sound of the front door open and close as the man leaves the house. Techno closes his eyes, but sleep doesn't come despite his earlier tiredness. Instead he resolves on looking at the ceiling and thinking.

He still managed to have trouble sleeping even though he's older and a small part inside of him muses how he'd be fast asleep already if Phil was there to tell him a story like old times. He keeps staring up and thinking over old times and old stories, and eventually thinks more than an hour must have passed, and he hasn't heard the sound of Phil coming back. He thinks his head must be playing tricks on him.

He starts to get an uneasy feeling in his stomach as more time passes, and after a while he can barely stand it and resolves to go and check up on his father. He knows Phil can easily manage on his own, but it couldn't hurt to check.

As he grabs his sword and throws on a coat, he wonders how many lives his dad had left. He mentioned how him and his brothers had three, but he never noticed until now how he had failed to include himself in that. Did he have two? He didn't want to think about him being left with one. Phil would have told him surely, but he still keeps his steps fast as he walks to the area where Phil kept his spider farm.

He was quite proud of the contraption he made, much like how he was proud of all the other farms he created. Techno thinks the bee farm must be his favorite from how much honey it produces, but the spider farm did leave them with a lot of string and spider eyes. 

When he starts to make his way close he feels all of his blood run cold when he hears a noise sound through the air.

He doesn't think he's ever heard this before. It's a quiet noise, but somehow it rings loudly in his ears like an alarm bell. It sounds broken, but oddly beautiful in a tragic sort of way. It sounded like a bird crying out for help in the clutches of a wolf. 

"Phil!", He says before he can process it. He runs towards the noise as fast as his legs can carry him, nearly stumbling over unnoticed rocks. He chokes on the smell of blood, something that never bothered him before.

There was so much blood. So much deep red that made the clumps of black feathers scattered on the dirt floor shine. He tears his eyes away from the blood and wills himself to look at Phil. He's shivering profusely and still making that noise that Techno can't bear to listen to. He wasn't even aware he could make that noise. He's never seen him so hurt.

"Phil- Dad- Hey I'm here.", Techno tries to say calmly. The man looked pale, and he looked as if he could barely keep his eyes open. The man groans. Techno thinks he must be in shock.

"Let's- I'm going to get you up ok?", Techno says as he carefully picks Phil up. Phil still shivers, but his distressed call dies down much to Techno's relief. He looks in horror and almost feels sick at the realization sitting on the ground.

His wings were cut off. Someone cut Phil's wings off. 

He feels like he's in some sort of sick dream that he can't wake up from. He wanted to kill whoever did this. Wanted to drain every last drop from their body, but his mind screams at him to get Phil back to the house so he can save him.

"Hang on dad. Please, stay awake.", He pleads to the man in his arms. He never says please, but he'd say anything to make this all right.

He begins to run, holding Phil close despite the blood that begins to stain the front of his shirt.

"Techno..", Phil manages to choke out. 

"Don't talk ok? Just stay awake-", Techno begs again and Phil let's out a choked pained noise.

"My wings. They're gone. They're gone.", He says and Techno thinks his heart can't possibly break more.

"I'm- I'm so sorry. Hey we're going to fix this.", Techno says because he doesn't know what else to say. He thinks Phil must be crying. He's still out of it.

"I'm going to die. I can't- Please take care of Tommy and Wilbur oh god-", Techno could barely hear Phil mumble and his heart plummets at the words.

"Don't say that. You're not dying ok? You still have three lives..", He says even though he's unsure 

When they reach the house, Techno slams the door open and rushes inside, placing Phil on his own bed. He tries placing him on his stomach to avoid the fresh wounds on his back. The image is bloody and brutal, and Techno quickly says something about getting the first aid kit before he rushes out of the room.

He considers waking up Tommy and Wilbur. Maybe just Wilbur. Tommy would absolutely freak out at the sight, but he figures more hands might help fix this faster. He doesn't go to wake them up though. Instead he finds the first aid kit and runs back and hears tired broken sobs.

"My wings..", Phil slurs out. 

"I know..I know. I swear I'll kill whoever did this, but first I need to help you ok?", Techno tries to say calmly but can feel his voice shaking.

He doesn't know where to begin. There's so many loose feathers stuck to the poor man from blood. He knew he was going to need to stitch the wounds shut. 

It's a hard process cleaning the blood and disinfecting the wounds. And it's even harder to stitch the horrible rips in Phil's back that cause the man to pass out in the middle of it. When Techno is done he bandages the man and notices his hands are shaking.

He's no doctor, but with such a long way to the town, he doesn't think Phil would have survived that long if he did nothing. He sits at the side of the bed. He should probably clean all the blood away, but he can't bring himself to get up and do it. Someone ripped Phil's wings away. Someone had to pay. A voice in his head demanded blood for this, but for now he looks at his unconcious father and lets tears fall.

* * *

He doesn't sleep that night. He just watches the steady rise and fall that signified that the man was still breathing. That he was still alive.

He wonders how Phil will react when he awakes. If he cries, Techno isn't sure what he'll do. He never was good at comforting people. That was always Wilbur or even Phil's forte. But these were Phil's wings, the thing he took enough pride and joy in to take care of them every night. And now they were gone.

Whoever did this must have been strong. Phil is a force to be met with, and he wouldn't have backed down from a fight. His mind immediately points to Dream. He could have done this. If he did, Techno would kill him god or not.

He had to force himself to leave the room quietly when the sun began to rise. Tommy has ran downstairs and immediately shouted about how he wanted pancakes and bacon and how he'd even help make it. He stopped when he saw Phil not there.

"Dad is still asleep? A miracle.", Tommy had laughed but it died when he saw the look on Techno's face.

"Where's dad?", Tommy asks quickly. "Is he sick or something?"

"No. I need to tell you and Wilbur something.", Techno explained.

Tommy's eyes widened. He pointed at the blood on Techno's shirt. It was still slightly damp and stuck to his skin in a way that made Techno want to burn the shirt, but he couldn't bring himself to even move just then.

"B-Blood?..Oi- I'm going to wake up Wilbur. Is dad in trouble? Big man you have to speak to me!", Tommy rambles.

"Go get Wilbur.", he says and Tommy manages to sense the tone of the situation and gives a quick nod before he runs off to get the mentioned man. When they both come back WIlbur gives Techno a serious look.

“What happened?”, Wilbur asks.

* * *

Techno explained what happened to the two and watched as their faces morphed into one of horror and worry. They immediately questioned the state of Phil, and techno told them all he knew. The man had obviously been in shock from the blood loss, and his wings were no more.

Tommy wiped angry tears from his eyes and demanded to know who did it. Despite how tough the kid acted, he was sensitive at heart, especially to those close to him. Wilbur looked like he was still processing it. Techno thinks if he thinks about it too much, he’ll go looking for blood. He’d do anything to make this up, but there is nothing he can really do. For now, he wanted to make sure his father would get better.

It took some convincing, but the three agreed to take care of Phil before they went out on their rampage on whoever dared to harm their father.

They took turns watching over Phil at his bedside. Tommy insisted on bringing the record player in the room so he could listen to tunes, which the others thought was a terrible idea, but it seemed to help Tommy stay calm as he watched the nearly lifeless body on the bed. Wilbur didn’t need to turn the record on. Instead he played his guitar and somberly let the notes of songs he had created just for Phil on past father’s days and birthdays fill the air.

Techno wasn’t sure what to do. He would sometimes talk to Phil, but it never felt right without the man’s response. He would tell him how he needs to wake up and that things would be ok even though he wasn’t sure of that. It took the man two long days before he opened his eyes.

It was late at night, and Techno sat next to his bedside. Wilbur had suggested maybe they don’t need to watch over him at night, but Techno refused such an idea. If there was even a sliver of a chance of his father waking up at night, then he would stay up. The thought of Phil waking up alone after what happened didn’t seem right.

He caught the slight flutter of the eyelashes of the man in the corner of his vision, which was quickly followed by the man slowly opening his eyes. He groaned slightly.

“Techno?”, He asks and Techno notices the slight hoarseness of his voice and immediately gets the nearby water he had ready for just in case the man woke up.

“Yup. That’s me dad.”, Techno said as he helped the man sit up. He looked confused, and Techno wondered if he remembered what happened. He helps the man drink the water from the cup before he sets it back to the side.

“I..What..”, Phil starts off. He runs a hand through his hair sluggishly. “I feel like shit..”

“That would make sense.”, Techno says, which earns a slight smile from Phil. He thinks maybe things would be ok, but he sees Phil’s smile twitch before it falls and his face crumbles.

“Ah. That wasn’t a nightmare was it?”, He says with a wet laugh that tells Techno the man is about to cry. He swallows. 

“No..”, Techno says honestly and Phil nods.

“It was only a matter of time.”, He says. 

“Don’t say that.”, Techno says quickly. How could he have expected such a cruel thing? He clenches his fist.“It was Dream, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. Him and his team. Managed to take that George and Sapnap fellow before I..”, Phil starts but shakes his head. “I know this seems awful Techno, but don’t fight my battles. He has infinite lives.”

“I don’t care. I’ll make him pay.”, Techno says without hesitation. 

“I don’t want anything to happen to you, or your brothers.”, Phil says.

“Nothing’s going to happen. He messed with our family, so we’ll make him pay.”, Techno says seriously. “I promise I’ll make him pay.”

“Techno.”, Phil says. “Don’t. He won't bother us anymore. He did what he wanted already..”

“And I don’t plan on letting him get away with that. He almost took one of your lives..He took your-”, He says but pauses. He knew his dad didn’t need a reminder of what he already lost. He shakes his head. “I know you’re worried, but I have three lives, and I’m a great fighter.”

“Techno.”, Phil says. His voice is dangerously close to breaking and Techno stops. Phil swallows, and he's shaking slightly. Techno momentarily wonders how much pain the man must be. He’s about to mention getting a potion to help him with the pain, but Phil begins to talk again. 

“I would be glad to take him down. I would. I have told you stories, but I haven’t told you all of them. I did a lot of things in my past. The reason I lived out here was because I was labeled as a war criminal.”

“You what?”, Techno says in surprise.

“I went against Dream before, when he first made his city. He claims to have built all of the land here actually. He watched on the sidelines as I beat the ender dragon he had put out. He watched as I found netherite when no one had before.”, He plays with his heart pendant still on him with shaking hands as he talks. “He watched, and Techno, he didn’t like what he saw.”

“You were just doing your thing.”, Techno says.

“My thing was undoing what he did. He didn’t want people in the End, so he put the dragon there. He didn’t want people to fly, because he’s the only other one that can. Maybe now he is the only one..”, He mumbles bitterly.

“He can fly?”, Techno asks in shock. “He doesn’t have wings.”

“Doesn’t need them.”, Phil says with a slight laugh. “The thing that really did it in was when I suggested there be a democracy in the land. He saw it as treason. He sent people after me, and I took most of them down and ended up here..When I found you and your brothers, I thought I could put all of that behind me. I just wanted the three of you to be safe.”

Techno stays silent, processing the words. Some tears fall from Phil’s eyes and Techno freezes, not knowing what to do. He thinks about how Phil would hug Tommy and have him talk whenever he was upset. When Wilbur was upset, Phil would ask him to play whatever songs he wanted for him. But this wasn’t some petty fight Tommy had with Tubbo, or just one of Wilbur’s off days. This was brutal. 

“We are. And you will be too..”, Techno said as he hesitantly hugged his father, easily wrapping his arms around the smaller man. Phil let out a choked sob immediately, and as much as it broke Techno’s heart, he kept hugging him. “You didn’t deserve this. I don’t care if he’s some god you pissed off, you were just doing the right thing. We’re going to be ok.”

“I’m sorry. Sorry- I shouldn’t-”, Phil says but is cut off by another set of sobs. Techno smoothes a hand over his back, careful to avoid the wounds there. 

“You lost something so important to you. You have every right to cry right now.”, Techno says. Phil shakes his head.

“I thought I could hide- I was so stupid..”, Phil says and Techno sighs.

“You’re not. It’s not your fault.”, Techno said. His mind was filled with the need to shed blood, Dream’s blood, and he couldn’t help but agree. He was going to make Dream pay.

They stayed like that for what must have been an hour, and afterwards Phil profusely apologized for breaking down in front of his son, and Techno shook his head and reassured him. After the crying, Phil looked exhausted, and after some insistence from Techno, he laid back down.

“I mean, you’ve done it so many times for me.”, Techno says with a shrug as he tucked his father in, which causes a small laugh from Phil. It was strained, but Techno didn’t blame him, he knew the man must be hurting. 

When he was fast asleep, Techno slowly got up, exhaustion finally setting in now that the man had woken up. He quietly leaves the room and shuts the door behind him. The next tournament was in a week, and Dream was sure to be there.

* * *

Healing was a process, and one he wasn’t sure Phil was taking well. 

The man had insisted that he wasn’t in any pain after countless questions from the three of his sons, but they all saw through that and made sure to take care of the wounds on his back and make sure he took some potions to help with the pain. It was even harder making the man stay in bed. He was usually busy maintaining projects or collecting resources. It took a lot to convince him that the three of them would be able to handle things while he recovered.

“I won’t even cause any troubles Dadza, I promise.”, Tommy said confidently. The rest of them laughed at that.

Phil looked to be doing well enough despite the loss of his wings, but Wilbur and Techno knew better. Tommy was happy with the way his father smiled and would still laugh at his ridiculous jokes. He was good at making Phil feel better for a while, but at night Wilbur and Techno would quietly whisper to each other while Tommy slept.

“It’s killing him. The other day I saw him crying again. It was a part of him literally. It would be like- like if someone took my ability to make music away.”, Wilbur whispered. Techno sighed.

“Yeah.”, He said as he looked at his collection of Phil’s feathers he still had. He’s sure the other two still have theirs. He thinks about how they’re even more special now.

“We’ll need to distract him. I don’t know..He used to like painting a lot, I think him starting up on that might help distract him..”, Wilbur said.

“Yeah.”, He said again. His father’s collection of paintings and drawings were always nice. He remembers the one he made of The End clearly. It’s still hanging up in the house, over one of the counters in the kitchen. Phil had told him he’d take him there one day.

“Is that all you can say?”, Wilbur said. He said it like it was a joke, but he could pick up the slight annoyance in his voice.

“I’m going to kill Dream”, Techno says suddenly despite the earlier question.

“Holy shit.”, Wilbur says but shakes his head. “I know you’re a good fighter and all, but he’s a god you know. But- I’d do anything to cause him even a sliver of the pain he caused. Even a good ol’ whack of my guitar would do.”

“Heh. Well, you’ll have to do that before I kill him.”, Techno says.

“Well..When is this grand murder you have planned?”, Wilbur asks.

“It’s not murder. It’s revenge.”, Techno says. 

“Yeah yeah, premeditated murder. Whatever. You know I support it. But- As soon as you’re on your second life come back. Dad wouldn’t be able to handle you dying. You’re his favorite.”, WIlbur says.

“Am not. Don’t make your jealousy so obvious.”, Techno says with a role of his eyes but smiles a bit at that. “I don’t die.”

“Yeah yeah- But seriously-”, Wilbur says and Techno huffs.

“Alright alright. I’ll run away if I seem to be losing, but that won’t happen.”, Techno says. “Just take care of dad when I’m gone alright?”

“No duh I will. He’s still going to lose it when he notices you gone though.”, Wilbur says.

“I know.”, Techno says. “But this has to be done. It’s something long overdue.”

That night they both sleep uninterrupted, and the next morning Techno quietly prepares to take off. When he has his bag of supplies, he goes to visit his father. He doesn’t tell him anything about his imminent departure, or make any signs of it. He mentions how the potatoes need harvesting, and he had to go. He did that yesterday already. He carefully hugs his father before he leaves. With a feather in his pocket, he takes the wagon and heads off.

* * *

The city is an endless bustling of people, but Techno manages his way through despite the annoyingness of the traffic. He’s almost surprised to see Tubbo there after he parks the wagon safely. He still has the bee plush in his arms and is smiling as Shlatt sells merchandise not so far away.

“Mr. Techno!”, Tubbo exclaims happily at the sight of the iglin. He bounces over happily. “I heard you’re fighting again today! And look!”

The young boy points to a button pinned proudly on his shirt. It says “Team Technoblade” in bold letters on it. Techno’s eye twitches.

“Where did you get that?”, He asks and Tubbo beams.

“My dad is selling them!”, Tubbo said as he pointed to the goat man in question. “He said business will be booming now! Good job Mr. Techno!”

“What? Hey I better be getting a cut of that money!”, He says and Tubbo tilts his head. 

“Huh? Why?”, He asks. Techno huffs. He didn’t feel like explaining to the kid, and he wasn’t sure if he really even cared. Tubbo kept talking. “We do have some competition though- Mr. Dream is supposed to be the last person to compete against!”

“What?”, Techno asked immediately. He had expected the god to be there, but for him to be the last challenger was not something he considered. He puts a hand over the blade by his side. He was going to kill him.

“Yeah! You should set up a bed Mr. Techno, just in case he kills you!”, Tubbo says.

“What?”, Techno asks.

“A bed. The last place you lay down is the place you wake up when you come back alive. Don’t you know?”, Tubbo asks with a tilt of his head. “Anyways, he is a god. What if he accidentally kills you?”

“He won’t be doing that.”, Techno said confidently. He shakes his head. “But where would I even get a bed anyways?”

“Come with me!”,Tubbo says and techno follows the kid until they reach the old wagon that belongs to the kid’s dad. He points to two covers and blankets on the wooden surface on the back. “See, it’s a bed.”

“Will it work?”, Techno hesitates.

“As long as you feel cozy, it will. The world makes sure you wake up in the last cozy place you woke up. To keep you safe!”, Tubbo says and Techno sighs before he hoists himself up onto the wagon and lays down. The blanket is too small for him. He’s about 6’7” now, taller than anyone he’s come across, so he didn’t expect it to fit. He closes his eyes.

It wasn’t comfortable. Or “cozy” as Tubbo put it. He closes his eyes and tries to think about his bed back home. His mind wanders to the snoring of his brothers and Phil tucking him in. He opens his eyes.

“That was stupid.”, He says. He hops back off the wagon as Tubbo whines.

“Was not!”, Tubbo complains but quickly grins. “Now you will wake up here if you die! Good luck!”

“Thanks.”, Techno says dryly as he begins to walk away. He looks at the stadium entrance before he walks in.

He’s not the first to go due to his last ranking. The crown he won from last time sits on his head. He hears the cheering and sounds of fighting in the ring, and if he was here for another reason he would have grinned at the ruckus. 

When it’s finally his turn to be called he unsheathed his sword. His fishing rod is strapped onto his back, ready to pull out when needed. It looked rough from the amount of times Techno has used it when fishing with Phil, but he made sure to change the strings and the hook beforehand.

He eyes his opponent. It’s a man with a black hood on. He looks up and sees a familiar figure looking down on him, lifeless eyes boring down on him.

Dream. Up there in the podiums, just watching. He knew what he did, and he must know Techno knew what he did too. He glares up at him, but can’t help but smile. Every bone in his body was telling him to climb up there and do him in. A voice screamed for the man’s blood. But he looked back at his current opponent and thought he would have to do for now.

* * *

Fiercely swinging his blade, Techno managed to take down the set of opponents put before him round after round. It was more challenging than last time, but that wasn’t saying much for the Piglin. For each opponent he took down, he only felt more confident and driven. And the blood. The blood that dripped from his blade spurred him on. He hadn’t killed anyone yet, but he could tell that a few of the people he has fought so far have attempted to take his life.

Once again, he found himself fighting this Sapnap man. The cocky tone from their first match was wiped away and replaced with a fiery sense of power. Techno only laughed. If he beat him before, then there was no doubt he can do so again. Techno only got stronger.

The battle was finished with a slice, and the man groaned as his knees hit the floor. Blood spilled between the fingers of the hand the man held over the wound, but Techno could tell the man was not in danger. He grinned, but then remembered why he was there. He looked up and saw Dream. 

Dream must be smiling at him. He could tell.

Flying down effortlessly from his perch, Dream landed next to Sapnap. The sound of Dream instructing some medics to come take him were barely heard in the Piglin’s ears or the cheering from the crowds. He flew down. This motherfucker flew down after what he had done. Techno’s hands were shaking from anger. When the medics come and take Sapnap away, it’s only him and the monster the people call a god. Something in him demanded blood.

“Dream.”, He says.

“Techno. Congratulations again.”, Dream says. His tone is mockingly cheerful, as if he’s telling a joke Techno is not in on. Techno glares, but can’t help the smile that spreads on his face when he thinks about just what he’s about to do.

“So this battle. It’s to the death.”, Techno says. “And I don’t mean two out of three. I mean this will finish when I kill you.”

“Why would it be two on three between me and you?”, Dream asks. “That sounds good to me Techno. First one to give up loses.”

“That’s not-”, Techno starts off but Dream walks back, taking out an axe of his own. It’s netherite. 

“Well. Let the match begin!”, He says and Techno immediately readies his blade and the two clash.

The sound of metal on metal is almost deafening, but the anger Techno feels rises over any of that. The way they fight is visceral, and Techno doesn’t back down. Then there’s the blade of his sword being swung at Dream, and it hits it’s target. 

The mask that covers the man’s face breaks in half, and Techno swears he sees the image of a face full of eyes staring back at him. He doesn’t wait to think about the image, and his arm keeps swinging until the blade meets what must be flesh. And then Dream is gone.

His shoulders heave as he catches his breath. Did anyone see that? He couldn’t have been the only one? But the crowd only cheers and he stands up straight and wonders if the man’s spawn is far. He knows that couldn’t have been the blow that did it. He didn’t care if the proof the man was a god was just before him. He’ll kill him.

He wasn’t disappointed when he saw a flash of the annoying green the man usually adorned, but the blood lust he had didn’t simmer. And so as soon as the man stood in front of him with his axe in his hand, Techno ran and swung. Dream keeps up.

“Woah. Someone’s excited.”, Dream laughed and Techno glared.

“You know why I’m here.”, He spat out between blows he tried to deliver. 

“Why? Oh. Don’t tell me it was that bird guy.”, Dream said with a snort which caused Techno to see red.

“His name is Philza.”, Techno said. It was odd saying his real name. Usually him and his brothers resorted to the shortened Phil, or even Dadza as Tommy and Wilbur loved to exclaim. 

“Oh yeah. The criminal. He killed some of my men from hre.”, Dream said. “I was doing him a favor by not killing him. I should have, but I figured you were keeping him around for some reason. Hope it wasn’t because he could fly.”

“He’s my dad.”, Techno spit out as he slashed his sword. Dream ducked in time.

“That’s strange.”, Dream said.

“Strange?! You almost took one of his lives! You took his wings!”, Techno yelled.

“One of his? He only has one-”, Dream said but Techno doesn’t have enough time to answer it because of the sudden sharp pain in his stomach. He looks down and sees a blade there. The world suddenly goes black.

He wakes up with a gasp on the uncomfortable wagon. He almost thinks it was just a dream as he sits atop the thin blankets, but he shakes his head and hops up. He runs through the crowd and makes it back to the stadium. Dream is waiting there with his axe dripping with blood. His own blood. The crowd cheers, but Tedchno sees red and immediately delves back into the fight.

“What did you say?”, He seethes. Dream laughs.

“You didn’t know? He only has one life.”, Dream says. “I can’t believe you’re calling this mortal your dad! Especially a defect.”

“Just shut up already, and let the violence speak for us. I know you can’t be telling the truth!”, Techno says. 

It goes on in an unbridled frenzy. Techno manages to kill Dream again by slicing his head off with the blade, and he’s grateful he sharpened the blade beforehand as he watches the head lop off and the blood poor. Funnily enough, the blood is red, albeit a blood so red it could be mistaken for a brown or black. Still, he bled, and Techno saw that as proof enough that this man could die.

The man killed Techno again, putting his axe in his leg that caused a wound so big it just kept bleeding. Techno grit his teeth and kept fighting, but the blood loss was starting to catch up to him and he died a second time.

This was it. Two lives were gone. Words that his brother spoke to him played in his mind, but were overdriven by the anger he felt. He didn’t care if he only had one life left. He needed to finish what he started, and he'd come home to his father in the end with Dream's head.

He made his way back to the stadium, and Dream as expected stood there in the midst of the blood that splattered the ground. Techno put a hand in his pocket to make sure the feather was there, and the softness of it despite it being slightly crumpled grounded him. He glared at Dream.

"Not giving up?", Dream asked with a cock of his head.

"I don't care if I have a life left.", Techno warned as he walked over cautiously. Dream laughed.

"Why do you keep saying that when it's me and you here? Are you keeping up a front?", Dream asked.

"What are you talking about?", Techno questioned before shaking his head. "Listen, I don't care if you supposedly have infinite lives."

"You don't know. You don't even know.", Dream says with a laugh. 

"What are you…"

"He didn't even tell you! Techno- You're like me! We're-", Dream started off with a laugh but Techno gripped his sword.

"Enough talking!", He said as he sprinted over. Being already prepared for such an onslaught, Dream successfully blocked his shot with his axe. The bloody tango the two had started continued with the words of the gods weighing in the back of his mind heavily.

He cut Dream down for a third time. He came back a few minutes later.

"Well. This was fun, but it's almost sundown. We should let these people get back home. You win for now.", Dream said as he held out his hand. There was no blood on it after his respawn but Techno's was still caked in blood. He looked at the hand.

"I'm not shaking your hand. You're going to pay for this still.", Techno said. He left the stadium with gold and fame, but he still felt like he lost.

* * *

He washes up before he goes home, and his aching head seems to calm down once all the blood is off of him and seeps into the stream he had washed. He watches the water around him go a light pinkish color before the water overtakes and all traces of the substance ebbs away. He goes home.

When be gets back, he sees green on the porch and smiles. His dad is sitting outside. He wants to immediately park the wagon and run over to him, but he feels like he didn't deserve it. Dream was still alive, and his government that hurt him still thrived. 

Phil gets up when he sees the sight of his eldest son, and after calling out for the other two to come outside, he calls Techno's name and runs over to him. Techbo can't help but feel a sweep of relief at the sound of his name.

As soon as his feet hit the ground his dad is hugging him, a laugh bubbling up from him as his signature striped hat is knocked off. Techno can't help but laugh too.

"You're back! Holy shit, don't ever take off on me like that again!", Phil says and Techno snorts.

"We'll see about that..", Techno says.

"Is this a group hug?", Wilbur asked as he hugged both of them as well. Techno rolled his eyes.

"A very manly one.", Tommy said as he joined in too. Techno was about to warn the kid to be careful with Philza's back but was surprised to see she already was. 

Phil laughs and since his arms are not long enough to hug all of them at once, Techno sighed and wraps his arms around Tommy and Wilbur, with Phil in the middle. When it was done they all parted and Tommy looked up Techno.

"Did you lose big man?", He asked.

"No. I won.", Techno said and Wilbur looks shocked.

"You mean you..you killed him?", He asked.

"Three times. But what's three deaths to a god.", Techno said. Phil puts a hand on his shoulder. 

"Let's go get you some tea. Lunch is already made so you can have some.", He said and Techno nodded before following him inside. 

When they're in the kitchen, Phil puts the kettle over the stove and Techno watches the pot heat up slowly and thinks over his next words. 

"Dad. I need to ask you some things.", Techno said slowly. Phil laughs a bit.

"I figured..So ask away.", He said.

"He said you had one life.", Techno said as he recalled Dream's words. "So you died two times..was it because of him?"

"No no..", Phil said and the momentary relief Techno feels at the words are squashed as the man keeps going. "I was born with one life Techno."

"How..", Techno asked.

"I told you I haven't told you and your brothers a lot of things..And I meant that. And I'm sorry.", Phil said. He looked down at his heart pendant and put a hand over it.

"Then tell me. You don't have to keep secrets from us. You don't have to keep secrets from me."

Phil nods, and with a heavy sigh he smiled a bit.

"Let me tell you a story, like old times eh?

I told you about how I cleared The End from the monster. How I discovered netherite through exploding beds. About all the things I built and seen. It was all selfish really. I feel like I mostly did that all for myself.

They told me I had one chance to complete my mission. Even now, I still am not completely sure what it is. They gave me this one life to take care of it, but they gave me no clue on what it was."

The man holds up the heart pendant slightly, and the red surface sparkles when the light hits it. Techno is in awe. After all that time of seeing his father wear it. It was his life.

"What do you think it was?..", Techno finally says.

"Well..It wasn't freeing the end for all to roam. Or finding netherite. Or any of those other things really. It never felt right completely even if it was fun. But..", His father stops to laugh slightly before he smiles warmly. "When I saw you Techno, I knew I just had to help you. And when I brought you back home I just knew. I wanted to spend my life raising you. And your brothers too. And if that wasn't my mission then..oh well. Fuck it."

Techno laughed. Phil laughed. Phil was an angel. In figurative sense, as well as the very literal sense. The realization makes Techno smile.

"He said I was a god.", He said. Phil shrugged.

"I figured something like that. You were very powerful and good with a blade even when you were knee high..Back when you weren't towering.", Phil says with a laugh.

"All of your sons tower over you-", Techno says which causes Phil to flip him off. Techno only laughs more. He shakes his head. "It doesn't make sense though. If you knew then why were you always so worried about my lives?"

"Because dying hurts? And it sounds traumatizing as fuck too. I didn't want you to go through that.", Phil says with a shrug.

"Of course..", Techno says. Of course his dad had to be practical. "Can't believe you did all that stuff with one life.."

"I don't care about that. You know in a way maybe you have one life too- Just a never ending one.", Phil points.

"That makes absolutely no sense..", Techno says which causes Phil to laugh a bit.

"I'm glad you're home Techno.", Phil says with a smile. 

"Me too, dad", Techno says.

The two drink tea and talk about how Techno kicked Dream's ass. Techno could still see the missing wings though. He still remembers his father's blood on his hands. That little tournament was only the beginning for Techno.

Ideas of fireworks and TNT and great monsters filled his mind. He wanted to test that city from the inside out. He would make that false government Dream created pay.

For now, he sips his tea in comfortable silence with his father.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I make a lot of dsmp art on my twitter and tumblr @p_ogman and my tumblr @p-ogman! Feel free to chat w/ me there too!


End file.
